Their current line up is: ODD Daisuke (Daisuke Isomichi) on vocals, Kentastic (Ken Steen) on vocals and guitar, Johnny II on vocals and synth (since 2010), Kurtis Bo(sem) (Boris Nielsen) (bass) and Borat (Robert Memmler) on drums. Returner (Marc Fischer) has been a member until 2010 and passed away in 2011.
Album discography: Headache Music (2006), Cum on Feel the Boyz (2007), Funky Stuff on Vinyl! (2008), Return of the Ausländers (2010), Don't Cry (2015), Greatest Hits (2017), Greatest Remixes (2017).
Singles and EPs: Gimme a Bassline!, Are You Talking to Me??? (2004), Are You Talking to Me??? (Part 2) (2006), Japaneeze Boyz (2007), The Disco Song (2008), Back to the Beatz! (2009), Welcome to the Sugar Show (2010), Ich bin Ausländer (Leider zum Glück) (Download, 2010), Welcome to the Schoko Show (2011), Ich bin Ausländer (Leider zum Glück) (7", 2012), (Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew (2014), Grlfrnd (2015), Bocadillo (2015), Roadside (2017), Any Trash Professor Abacus? Remix (2017), Are you talking to me??? Remix (2017).
Torpedo Boyz's Headache Music was nominated for the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for best Dance/Electronica Album of the year. In 2009, Torpedo Boyz won the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for best Dance/Electronica Album.
They've composed many songs for German and international commercials, TV series, trailers & moving pictures.
http://www.torpedo-boyz.com
http://www.torpedomusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/pg/torpedoboyz
"Berlin is not a place where things happen according to the normal rules. And Berlin’s Torpedo Boyz — winners of the 2009 Independent Music Award for best dance/electronica album for Cum On Feel the Boyz — are proof of that.
Just like the city’s legendary nightlife — where fresh ideas instantly become clubland reality and the scene maintains its edge with shape-shifting spontaneity — the Torpedo Boyz came into existence as a spark of an idea and, as their new album, Return of the Ausländers, shows, they continue to constantly evolve. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It all began back in 2004. That’s when Kentastic — a pop DJ who also fronted an indie band — and former house DJ Rollin Hand began screwing around with some beats during a recording session and came up with the rowdy, rambunctious “Gimme a Bassline!” Initially released as a one-off 12-inch, the track immediately struck a chord, quickly climbing into the Top Five of the German club charts. Soon after, New York’s Ursula 1000 included the track on his Ursadelica compilation, released by Thievery Corporation’s ESL label, and Puma snapped up the tune for a major TV campaign.
Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the Torpedo Boyz: Washington DC’s Fort Knox Five volunteered to remix the next single. Then as the ideas and tracks continued to flow, artists from Smoove, Skeewiff, and the Pinker Tones to Cubismo Grafico and Groove Allegiance lined up to re-rub a series of hit 12-inch releases, including “Are You Talking To Me???”, “Japaneeze Boyz,” and “The Disco Song.” Still, as debut album Headache Music and the award-winning Cum On Feel the Boyz (both released on Lounge Records in Europe and Sounds From the Roof in the US) followed and demand for live appearances exploded, Kentastic and Rollin Hand decided they wouldn’t be happy performing as faceless knob-twiddlers. Instead, with vocalists Returner and Daisuke as well as with Kurtis Bo and Borat on bass and drums they gathered their merry gang of collaborators and formed a fully-fledged touring band. Why? There’s one constant with the Torpedo Boyz: Expect the unexpected.
Their musicianship, infectious energy, and zany outfits helped take what was already becoming a global phenomenon to the next level. In rejecting the rules of electronic-production-duo-by-the-numbers, the Boyz won over audiences everywhere they played, from Canada’s Whistler to Moscow and back home in legendary Berlin venues like Tresor. Word of their incredible live show spread along with their tunes, and in 2009 the band was invited to tour Asia and Spain. Alongside these full-band gigs, Kentastic continued to spread the funk Torpedo style with DJ appearances, jetting around the world to spin in the UK, France, Israel, Portugal, Korea, China, Holland, Russia, Spain, Hungary, Japan, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Canada, and all across Germany. Which finally brings us up to the present, and the Torpedo Boyz’ third LP, Return of the Ausländers. The title is a rye comment on the Boyz’ all-encompassing philosophy, with their lyrics in Japanese, English and German, and their musical miscegeny blurring borders between genres.
The new record once again defies expectations, bringing in new sounds—like Returner’s Krautrock influenced “Maschinenwelt” and Daisuke’s exposing “Ich bin Ausländer” (“I’m a Foreigner”). Davey Woodward from the Experimental Pop Band turns up on “That Is So Beautiful.” The tune “Your Input Is Not Correct!” includes a sample of a Moscow hotel’s automated wake-up call system recorded while out on tour; In “Fat Man’s Walk” Returner celebrates a liberating rejoinder to Randy Newman’s “Short People.” Sure, the Torpedo Boyz will always throw down plenty of danceable break beats, but their irrepressible sense of fun means you’ll also hear totally unexpected sounds — a nod to Kentastic’s indie pop background here, the jarring cut n’ paste mania of “Kokoro Ni Rock’n’Roll” there. In short, the new album is anything but a half-assed return to the well.
It’s an upbeat, breaktastic record ready to get the party started on your block—whether your block is in Brooklyn, Bristol, or Beijing"
Ich bin Ausländer
Torpedo Boyz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leider zum Glueck
Ich bin Auslaender
Leider zum Glueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach hause zurueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach hause zurueck
Ich brauche viele Jahren aus Hiroshima hier an
Berlin ist eine Wuste,aus Stein nur aus Stein
Manchmal ist es gut, manchmal eine quall
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
In winter ist es kalt
Im Sommer ganz sehr heiss
Die Currywurst ist lecker
Doch ich esse lieber Reis
Ich wohne in einer Wohnung
In Berlin mitte
Ich arbeite als Sushi Koch
Bestellen Sie was bitte
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach hause zurueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach hause zurueck
Leider spreche ich kein Deutsch
Die Leute kein Japanisch
Doch ich muss ja auch nicht
Ich bin ja nicht artig
Um ***bin ich nach Hause
Ist es manchmal so
In Berlin ist ganz schoen
Aber auch in Tokyo
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Er ist Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Er ist Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Er geht irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Er geht irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Amerika leicht zu mir, ist OK!
Russia leicht zu mir, ist OK!
China leicht zu mir, ist OK!
Germany... I don′t know!
I don't know
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich bin Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
Vielleicht bleibe ich auch hier
Vielleicht bleibe ich auch hier
Vielleicht bleibe ich...
Vielleicht bleibe ich...
Vielleicht bleibe ich auch hier.
The lyrics of Torpedo Boyz's song "Ich bin Ausländer" reflect the perspective of someone who is an outsider or a foreigner in Germany. The title itself translates to "I am a foreigner" and the repetition of "Leider zum Glück" emphasizes the conflicting feelings of being a foreigner but also finding some consolation in it.
The singer introduces themselves as Daisuke from Japan, noting how it took them many years to come from Hiroshima to Berlin. They describe Berlin as a desert made of stone, suggesting a sense of isolation and unfamiliarity. They acknowledge that sometimes it's good, but other times it can be a trial. Despite these mixed feelings, they plan to eventually go back to Japan.
The lyrics also touch upon the contrast between the seasons, with cold winters and incredibly hot summers. They mention that while the famous German dish "Currywurst" is enjoyable, they prefer to eat rice. The singer reveals that they live in an apartment in Berlin Mitte and work as a sushi chef, inviting customers to place their orders.
Throughout the song, there is an acknowledgment of the language barrier. The singer admits that they don't speak German and the locals don't speak Japanese. However, they don't feel the need to conform to societal expectations, expressing their own sense of independence and non-conformity. They emphasize that they do not have to be "good" in the traditional sense.
The lyrics conclude with a bit of humor and uncertainty. The singer expresses their intention to eventually go back to Japan but also considers the possibility of staying in Berlin. The song ends with the repetition of "Vielleicht bleibe ich auch hier" which means "Maybe I will stay here."
Overall, "Ich bin Ausländer" captures the experience of being a foreigner in a new country, highlighting the challenges, cultural differences, and internal conflict that can arise. It invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences as outsiders and the question of where one truly belongs.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich bin Auslaender
I am a foreigner
Leider zum Glueck
Unfortunately fortunately
Ich gehe irgendwann nach hause zurueck
I will go home eventually
Mein Name ist Daisuke und komme aus Japan.
My name is Daisuke and I come from Japan
Ich brauche viele Jahren aus Hiroshima hier an
It took me many years to come here from Hiroshima
Berlin ist eine Wuste,aus Stein nur aus Stein
Berlin is a desert, made only of stones
Manchmal ist es gut, manchmal eine quall
Sometimes it's good, sometimes a torment
In winter ist es kalt
In winter it is cold
Im Sommer ganz sehr heiss
In summer it's very hot
Die Currywurst ist lecker
Currywurst is delicious
Doch ich esse lieber Reis
But I prefer to eat rice
Ich wohne in einer Wohnung
I live in an apartment
In Berlin mitte
In the center of Berlin
Ich arbeite als Sushi Koch
I work as a sushi chef
Bestellen Sie was bitte
Please order something
Leider spreche ich kein Deutsch
Unfortunately, I don't speak German
Die Leute kein Japanisch
People don't speak Japanese
Doch ich muss ja auch nicht
But I don't have to either
Ich bin ja nicht artig
I am not obedient
Um ***bin ich nach Hause
At *** I go home
Ist es manchmal so
Sometimes it's like that
In Berlin ist ganz schoen
In Berlin it's quite nice
Aber auch in Tokyo
But also in Tokyo
Er ist Auslaender Leider zum Glueck
He is a foreigner unfortunately fortunately
Er geht irgendwann nach Japan zurueck
He will go back to Japan eventually
Amerika leicht zu mir, ist OK!
America is easy for me, it's okay!
Russia leicht zu mir, ist OK!
Russia is easy for me, it's okay!
China leicht zu mir, ist OK!
China is easy for me, it's okay!
Germany... I don′t know!
Germany... I don't know!
Vielleicht bleibe ich auch hier
Maybe I will stay here
Vielleicht bleibe ich...
Maybe I will stay...
Vielleicht bleibe ich auch hier.
Maybe I will stay here.
Writer(s): Johannes Lehniger, Ken Steen, Holger Schuhmann, Marc Herbert Fischer
Contributed by Jordan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.